This invention relates to improved feeding and air flow apparatus and method for opening fibers.
A need for a reliable device to reclaim unsalable fibrous materials has persisted for many years. Unsalable materials include, but are not limited to, selvedge trims, startup rolls, defective product, test samples and production overruns. The invention especially concerns the reduction of finished material back to individual fibers that may be reintroduced into the production process. The subject apparatus and method efficiently and consistently process a wide variety of fabrics and fibers. While the fabrics to which the device is most applicable include nonwovens, other fabrics and fiber masses and configurations, natural and synthetic may also be processed.
Nonwoven fabrics are distinguished from woven or knitted fabrics in several ways. Nonwovens usually consist of layers of fibers laid randomly with respect to one another. The individual fibers are formed into fabric by mechanical interlocking or chemical bonding, or a combination of both methods. Woven and knitted fabrics are usually constructed of fiber that has been spun into yarn, which is subsequently woven or knitted together in a uniform and precise manner. Nonwovens, due to their random nature and looser construction, are generally easier to reduce back to individual fibers. It is with both mechanically and chemically bonded nonwovens that the invention as presently contemplated is thought to offer its greatest advantage.
The prior art includes fiber reclaiming constructions and methods illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,377 and 5,257,831 wherein waste that is only partially or insufficiently processed is returned to the input in multi-stage machines. The prior art is further exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,169,278, 3,955,244, 4,157,601, 4,472,859, and 4,524,492 relating to air flow constructions useful in carding machines.